DeepSummary
In this episode, Tim Crawford, a former CIO and now an advisor to CIOs, discusses the mindset and challenges of modern CIOs. He explains how the role has evolved, with CIOs needing to be business leaders first, responsible for enabling their organizations through technology. Crawford delves into the balance CIOs must strike between keeping operations running smoothly and driving innovation.
Crawford also examines specific examples, such as the impact of Broadcom's acquisition of VMware and the resulting potential for significant price increases, which could disrupt CIOs' budgets and force them to explore alternatives. He also touches on the topic of AI, advising CIOs to be cautious of "AI washing" and to focus on leveraging AI through existing enterprise applications rather than trying to build their own solutions.
Additionally, Crawford shares his experience attending HashiCorp's bell-ringing ceremony at the Nasdaq, only for the company to be acquired by IBM within 48 hours, highlighting the rapidly changing technology landscape CIOs must navigate.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- CIOs today must be business leaders first, responsible for enabling their organizations through technology.
- CIOs must balance operational stability with driving innovation and differentiating their organizations.
- Major vendor changes, like Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, can significantly disrupt CIOs' budgets and force them to explore alternatives.
- CIOs should approach AI cautiously, focusing on leveraging it through existing enterprise applications rather than trying to build their own solutions.
- Transparency and honesty in financial management are crucial for maintaining a CIO's credibility.
- CIOs must navigate a rapidly changing technology landscape, as exemplified by HashiCorp's rapid acquisition after their Nasdaq bell-ringing ceremony.
- Earning the trust of the IT team and aligning with the organization's perception of IT as a strategic partner are important for CIOs.
- Effective budgeting and financial management, including categorizing expenses into operational and discretionary buckets, are key responsibilities for CIOs.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Technology is complicated, and a lot of folks that work outside of it don't understand, let alone respect that. So having someone that leads the organization that IT folks can trust is really, really important.“ by Tim Crawford
- “You have to have some pretty significant chutzpah to be able to get your arms around AI.“ by Tim Crawford
- “It was just a series of, of kind of things. And it all spun off, I think because I was so public about my participating in the opening bell at the Nasdaq, which is, again, that was just really cool.“ by Tim Crawford
- “You may have the most innovative CIO, and I've run across folks in this position many times. You've got a great CIO, very forward thinking, very strategic, has their operations in check, but the rest of the organization does not look at IT as a strategic organization.“ by Tim Crawford
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Episode Information
The Cloudcast
Massive Studios
5/29/24
Tim Crawford (@tcrawford, CIO Advisor at @AVOAcom) talks about the challenges of the modern CIO, managing stability vs. innovation, and understanding the business value of tech.
SHOW: 825
SHOW TRANSCRIPT: The Cloudcast #825 Transcript
SHOW VIDEO: The Cloudcast YouTube Channel
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SHOW NOTES:
Topic 1 - Tim, welcome back to the show! We’ve been friends for years, and it’s great to get you on today! We will discuss everything at the top of CIOs' minds today. Why don’t you give everyone a quick background on how you became known as the CIO Advisor?
Topic 2 - Before we go into trends over the last few years. Put everyone in a CIO mindset. What do they care about? How do they think about the intersection of technology and business? What keeps them up at night?
Topic 3 - We’ve heard many times CIOs have to balance two things: keeping the lights on (the boring side of the business that is often undifferentiated, and the innovative side that often moves the needle. A CIO’s job is to minimize the former and maximize the latter. Do you agree? How accurate is that statement?
Topic 4 - I’ll follow that up with a real-world example many organizations might be facing, one we’ve discussed on the show in the past. We’ll discuss VMware on one end of the stable, the keep the lights on model, and AI on the other end as an innovative technology that could differentiate. Let’s talk about VMware first…
Topic 4b - Now the other end of the spectrum, AI. Have we reached peak AI washing and craziness? Is the trough of disillusionment coming? How should a CIO think about it?
Topic 5 - Let’s talk about economics over the last few years. Zero-interest money has gone away for VCs and startups and we are seeing some big changes on the vendor side. How does this impact the people you talk to?
Topic 6 - Last topic, you were there and talked about Hashicorp when they rang the bell last week and then were bought 24 hours later. What was that like as someone who was there?
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